The Railway Children
by Goldsaddletank
Summary: My Halloween story for Thomas and Friends! The narrow gauge engines start experiencing some strange sightings along the Skarloey line in the run up to Halloween. Can they find out the meaning behind them? And why is one of their fleet, one of their brothers in buffers, keeping such a dark and horrifying secret hidden to himself?
1. Prologue

26th October 1919

…..

"C'mon, Sarah- we gotta go!" hissed Cedric, tugging on his little sister's hand; who merely whispered in reply.

"I don't wanna leave Mummy!" She pouted, trying to wrench her hand out of her brother's grasp.

"Sarah, I don't want Daddy to hurt you too," the nine -year- old pleaded. He didn't want to leave their mum either- but Daddy was getting worse now than ever before- hitting and striking Mummy so hard she developed bruises and cuts; kicking her in the stomach and the back of her legs so she stumbled to the ground; cursing and yelling so loudly the walls reverberated- he had seen- and heard-it all.

Worse- so had little Sarah.

Said little sister eventually complied, allowing Cedric to drag her out of the house, unseen by their stinking father, who was currently calling Mummy names, insulting her cooking and pulling her hair; and into the cold, dark, snowy night, trying to resist running back in when they heard her screams.

After all, both Cedric and Sarah had tried to stop Daddy from hurting Mummy- he only hurt them really, really badly.

They needed someone big, someone strong.

They needed a grown up, or maybe two.

...

The two kids ran down the snow covered hill as fast as their little legs would carry them; stumbling over their own feet and tripping over tree roots and rocks buried by the fluffy, icy blanket surrounding them; bruises littering their knees- now the ones Daddy gave them were near undistinguishable after the falls.

But Cedric didn't care about the bruises now- for he knew a train ran at the bottom of the hill. Where there were trains, there was a railway. Where there was railways, there would be grown-ups working. And grown ups meant they could get help for Mummy!

"Come on, Sarah!" He urged his sibling, watching fearfully as the snow continued to fall faster and faster around them. With a final burst of speed, the heroic pair vaulted a wooden fence marking the boundary between the farmer's lands and the railway and shuffled over to take shelter in the mouth of a tunnel right beside the fence.

Unfortunately for Cedric, this was the last thing they could see before the snowfall increased to a blizzard- turning the whole world white at dizzying speeds.

Now unable to see his sister, he squeezed Sarah's hand tightly, with the added warning "Hold on to my hand, Sarah!"

"I am holding on, Ced!" Sarah whined, outing. However, she couldn't see her brother's face through the blizzard and the darkness of the tunnel behind them. Despite her adamant belief that 7 years of age was a 'big girl' age to be, she still wanted- and needed- to see Cedric's face. He always knew how to make her feel better, and it scared her that she couldn't see him.

Suddenly, Cedric heard a 'peep! peep!' of a steam train in the distance, coming towards him! He squeaked excitedly and jumped up and down jubilantly on the spot.

"Listen, Sarah! It's a train!" He said, pointing excitedly down the line to a blizzard obscured void. "We can get Mummy help now! Come on, sis!" he said excitedly to his little sister- who was still scared, but she felt more hopeful that soon they could save Mummy from Daddy… even if they didn't really want him to leave again…

The two children ran towards the train, yelling out, "Please, sir, stop! We need help! Our Mummy's in danger and we can't help her alone! Please, sirs, we need some grown ups to help us!"

Unfortunately, Cedric had failed to realize how dangerous their plan was… and then, it was too late.

For two moments, they were bathed in a warm-coloured glow… then a frightened voice yelled out, and a face, expression frozen into shock, sprung out of the dark towards them.

The two little children felt something strike their legs; far harder and more painful than Daddy ever hit them- even with the belt. They felt themselves being thrown backwards into blackness… and they both knew no more.


	2. Discussion at the Depot

Hello, you lovely people! I am back- with a new Halloween story, called 'The Railway Children!' This is in no way connected with E. Nesbit's book, by the way. This is a little tale I brainstormed and wrote up, involving the narrow-gauge engines! I hope you all enjoy, and please review! Please note that there will be some LukeXDuncan in this fanfic! 3 a ship I share with my sis, Raphianna! 😊

Disclaimer: Lexi, Geoffrey, Richard, any other OCs and the plot belong to me- engines belong to their respective owners.

…...

100 Years Later

….

It had been two months since summer had wound to a close on Sodor, and everyone had settled into their new timetables- for the engines on Mr. Percival's railway, this meant that they would receive a short lull in their passengers before December arrived.

"It's quite chilly, isn't it?" Asked Rheneas nonchalantly to his three companions; Duke, Peter Sam and Lexi Heron, daughter of Geoffrey Heron, Luke's driver.

"Oi, you have no right to complain, you scarlet git," Lexi complained with a shiver, rubbing her arms vigorously. "I haven't got my coat with me!"

"Well, it serves you right, youngster" Said Duke sternly, glaring over to where the teenager was polishing Rheneas's whistle. "You young idiots nowadays lack hardiness and foresight."

"Why ever on Earth are you wandering around without it, anyway?" Asked Peter Sam curiously, hoping to prevent an argument between Granpuff and Lexi; for they barely got on well with each other, due to their polar personalities, beliefs and values. They clashed way too often, so the others attempted to keep things from escalating if they had to communicate.

"I left it at school." Lexi replied grumpily, glaring back at Duke. "And if you think I lack foresight," she added, this time to the old brown engine "then you haven't seen Jasmine Green! She's still wearing shorts, for Godred's sake!" she added.

"You said she's like that all the time." Peter Sam commented, but he received no response. However, he did hear her mutter, "Stupid Jasmine- thinks she's so perfect." before she began attacking a particularly tough spot of grime on Rheneas's whistle.

"You're not going to stop talking about her, are you?" Rheneas asked her, dread pounding in his smokebox.

"Ugh, no, of course not- she's always getting on my bloody nerves!" Snapped Lexi furiously, stomping across his running plate to his smokebox, "She's got all the boys fawning over her, what with her perfect hair, defining curves and long legs! She always pretends to be some love stricken, vacuous minded imbecilic humanoid alien when a boy gets within a five-mile radius of her- and she has the nerve to tell me I'm weird! And then even if I tried to do as she suggested she'd claw my eyeballs out for 'stealing' attention away from her! I'm fed up of that rat's-tail headed swine. The sooner her dad gets transferred to the Gold Bank branch at Wellsworth, the better- Wellsworth High can deal with her." She snorted, wrinkling up her nose. "Then I"-

"LEXI!" Rheneas shouted.

"Yeah?"

"Is Jasmine bullying you again?" Asked Rheneas, doing his best to be patient despite feeling a tad irritated at Lexi's school-drama related histrionics. As fond as he was of the peculiar teen, he found her repetitive outbursts about the elusive and yet ever- present Jasmine Green.

"No more than usual," Shrugged Lexi, leaning against Rheneas's funnel. "And yet, I can't shake her off. She's like a really bad itch I can't reach." She said, quirking her eyebrow. Rheneas caught on, and he sighed again, feeling a bit weary of the continuous raging- before a cheeky suggestion entered his funnel, making him grin.

"Well, there's a simple cure for that- just drag her down here and set Duncan on her." Rheneas suggested impishly, causing Lexi to cackle out loud with laughter. Within minutes she was laughing so hard that tears were streaming down her cheeks like the Whispering Waterfall, and she found herself unable to balance without leaning on her friend's smokebox.

"You, Rheneas, are evil!" She gasped between laughter. "If I don't calm down, I'll have my pacemaker short out! How can you possibly be related to Skarloey?" She asked, still in disbelief that he could be the sibling of the railway's peacekeeper and leader.

"You'll be surprised, believe me," Replied Rheneas, nonchalantly.

But before Lexi could challenge him on that remark, Luke suddenly chuffed into the Depot, looking breathless but very pleased with himself. His smile was large and unrivalled- his buck teeth glinted white in the sun, and his eyes sparkled with joy.

"Hello, Luke!" Peter Sam greeted his cousin and friend warmly, genuinely pleased to see Luke was staying at the Depot tonight instead of the quarry. "How was your run?"

"Oh, Peter Sam, it was glorious!" Luke replied dreamily, his eyes wide and brighter than two stars. His green paintwork glittered brightly in the autumn sun, like peridots.

"Easy there, Luke- you sound like Cinderella sneaking back from the ball!" Lexi teased, jumping off Rheneas's running board.

"I love autumn…" Sighed Luke. "Back in Ireland, I would always, always keep an eye out for foxes! I love the colours of the leaves fluttering onto the line…"

"Sounds a bit contrary to your usual temperament." Peter Sam commented.

"I always make autumn the exception, Peter Sam," Continued Luke. "I love how much cooler it gets, and…" he trailed off, sighing dreamily. "Oh, it's my favourite time of year! I love it!"

"Did you meet up with Duncan on the way here, by any chance?" Asked Lexi cheekily, noting that Luke's cheeks were glowing a faint pink. "I mean, surely the season alone isn't making you euphoric?"

Poor Luke suddenly turned scarlet and blinked at her, dazed at having been caught out in his secret; but before he could answer her, Rheneas stepped in to his defence.

"Enough, Lexi!" Thundered Rheneas, shocked at her remark. "I thought you of all people would be so understanding about this sort of matter! There really wasn't any need to embarrass him like that!"

"Well said!" Geoffrey said from Luke's cab. "Lexi, that was really uncalled for!"

"Alright, Luke, I'm sorry," Lexi said, her hands up in surrender, feeling chastised now. "I… I didn't mean to upset you." She said quietly, looking away. "It's none of my business to comment."

"Hey, it's ok…" Luke replied kindly. "I forgive you. I know you weren't being malicious, Lex- I was just caught off guard by what you said about Duncan…"

"Heh, I knew you were with him just now" Smirked Lexi knowingly, winking at her friend. "But hey, like I said before, it's cool you guys are a thing." She grinned cheekily. "I think it's cute. It seemed odd that you guys had a crush on each other to begin with, but I didn't know you guys would turn out to be so darn adorable!" She gushed, smiling. "I'm proud of you guys, really. It ain't easy stepping out of the closet."

"But engines can't even fit in a closet to begin with!" Peter Sam pointed out.

"From a physical point of view, your observations would be recognised as astute, Peter Sam." Lexi replied sarcastically, glaring at Peter Sam over her shoulder. "But here, you Geisel goose, I was talking about Luke and Duncan admitting their love for one another."

"I still don't see the relevance of the closet." Sulked Peter Sam. "You humans have such peculiar expressions."

Lexi rolled her eyes in annoyance before glancing back at Luke, who was trying to stifle chuckles at the bizarre interaction.

"Just for the record, Rheneas, I still prefer this lunacy to dealing with Jasmine Green!" Lexi called, confusing the little Irish engine.

"Who's she talking about?" he asked. Rheneas was astounded- and annoyed, too- that Luke hadn't dealt with her complaining about school, and the people she dealt with on a near day-to-day basis.

"Luke, please, for the sake of everyone present, don't ask." Rheneas pleaded. "We'll be here all night- even if we do sleep here." He added, before Peter Sam could pause his sulk long enough to object.

"What's gotten into you guys?" Luke asked in concern. "You all look like you have an awful puss."

"He means you guys look really moody," Richard translated from the cab; to which Lexi just muttered some indecipherable rabble and stomped off to polish Duke's buffers. Peter Sam merely explained, rather sheepishly, that everyone had been in a funny mood today- and not to worry about it.

"I'm sure it'll pass," he said. "I only hope it doesn't affect the others when they come back."

"At least Duncan's immune," Replied Luke- and the others chuckled, feeling the mood lift.


	3. Peter Sam Departs

All too soon, Rheneas had to head off to fetch his next passenger train. Duncan and Rusty were on goods runs and Skarloey was covering for Freddie down at the Wharf. Peter Sam was due out with his evening train, an hour and a half after Rheneas.

This meant, most likely, that Lexi would just have Duke and Luke for company until she either went home for the day or the others came back in good time.

It all really depended on the time, and a bit of luck.

The others all watched as Rheneas headed off to collect his coaches, exiting the Depot with a graceful whoosh and a loud 'PEEP! PEEP!'

The other engines called out their goodbyes, with Lexi waving from Duke's running board, until their friend vanished.

The teen shivered again as an autumnal breeze blasted through the yard.

"How could you so forgetful, anyway?" Asked Duke.

Lexi glared- she wasn't in the mood for an argument. "I just… I got distracted. My friend needed my help with something after school, and I helped him out… only, I never realized I didn't pick up my jacket until I was halfway here."

Duke tutted. "It's just as well you're not an engine," he chided. "This sort of behaviour would never"-

"-suit his Grace, I get it!" Lexi cried out in exasperation, rolling her eyes. "I think we established I don't act like a duke! I haven't even got the parts for it!"

"Hey, Lex, do you know if there will be fog tonight?" Asked Peter Sam quickly, before the argument escalated into a conflict. "I heard Driver say there will be fog tonight- but I don't know if that's true, and if so, when it'll hit."

"Hmm…" Lexi pulled out her phone from her jeans and typed something on the screen, remaining silent for this strange 30 second ritual.

"Well," she said at last. "There's supposed to be fog coming in tonight- about 5-ish or so?" She replied, looking up at him. "It's going to be thicker than pea soup."

"Fiddlesticks!" Peeped Peter Sam crossly. "I hate fog!"

"Why?" Asked Lexi, curiously.

"Well, Sir Handel got lost in some very thick fog once, back on the MSR," replied Peter Sam. "I hated the idea of him being lost and alone in the dark, unable to find his way home, so I went out to look for him"-

"I warned you that that would be a bad idea," Interjected Duke, sternly.

Luke, however, was captivated by the story, and wanted to hear more of what happened that night. "So, what happened next, Peter Sam?" He asked his cousin.

"Well, Luke," Replied Peter Sam, "I went out of the sheds to look for Sir Handel- or Falcon as he was known to us then. I blew my whistle, I shouted his name, even had my driver turn my lamp on and off to see if I could find him. And then, it happened…"

"Let me guess, you burst a light bulb?" Lexi asked, sarcastically.

"Do you have any idea how terrifying that is in a dark, foggy night?" Asked Peter Sam, giving Lexi an incredulous look. "My lamp went out there and then- and I realized then that I couldn't see anything at all, so I was lost, all alone in the middle of the line! My crew had to sleep in my cab, as they couldn't see the tips of their fingers! I was forced to wait until morning to get going back to the shed again- and there was Falcon all along, snoring like a lumberjack's chainsaw!"

"I did warn you," Duke reminded his mentee quietly, whilst the other two began quietly guffawing in the corner of the sheds. Peter Sam pouted, but even he couldn't stay moody for long, and joined in.

…

The four conversed on all sorts of matters just to pass the time until Skarloey arrived and greeted his friends with a loud peep and a huge, friendly grin.

"Hello everyone!" He said. "How are you all?"

"Hi, Skarloey!" The others replied.

"We're well," Peter Sam added graciously.

"Except for some," Duke added quietly, looking over at Lexi. She said nothing, just shot him a 'don't bring this up again' look, before jumping off his running board.

"Lovely evening, isn't it?" Continued Skarloey, ignoring Lexi and Duke's moment of tension. "It's a pity the fog has to come in so soon."

"Yep," Agreed Peter Sam. "I'll be stuck in it tonight."

"Just pray it doesn't get too cold for icicles." Skarloey teased. "Right, Peter Sam, I've fetched the coaches out for you," he added cordially, "They're waiting for you at Crovan's Gate- you've got Agnes and the others."

"Oh, thanks, Skarloey!" Peter Sam peeped politely. "That does save me a bit of time!"

"We better get you going anyway, old boy," added his driver, examining his watch. "You've got nine minutes until your next train!"

"Oh crikey!" Whooshed Peter Sam. Once his crew were ready, they all set off towards Crovan's Gate Station.

It was the moment his cousin left the Depot that Luke suddenly felt a quicksilver shiver up his boiler- but it wasn't from the autumnal chill. It was an instinct, buried deep, deep down in the subconscious, and it was stirring even now in his smokebox, alerting him to some unknown danger.

Luke glanced over at Duke and Lexi to see if they noticed his reaction; but they were too busy asking Skarloey about his run.

So kept his reaction to himself, reasoning that it was probably nothing.


	4. Brotherly Banter

Peter Sam felt apprehensive on his ride to Crovan's Gate; silvery wisps hovered through the air, despite the magnificent gold-orange sunset blazing above him.

"Brr, I don't like the fog! I don't like the fog!" huffed Peter Sam to himself. He really didn't the fog at all- it wasn't fun getting lost in it!

It reminded him of the time when he got lost back on the MSR, and his brother Falcon (now Sir Handel, had managed to get home- as well as the time he got spooked by a signalman (that incident nearly caused him to hit a poor fox who strayed onto the line).

Fortunately, the fog remained light as he reached Crovan's Gate, but he was still nervous as he backed down onto the coaches.

"Good evening, brother!" Called a voice.

"AHHH!" Yelped Peter Sam. He shot backwards too quickly in his fright- accidentally bumping the coaches too hard, causing them to squeak, yelp, whimper and bellow all at once in indignation.

Suddenly, he heard laughter ringing out behind him. "Come on, Peter Sam- you haven't even left yet!" the voice teased.

"Sir Handel!" Wheeshed Peter Sam, embarrassed that his elder brother had scared him- yet again. For Proteus's sake, he would be 100 years old next year! How had he not learned a thing about Sir Handel's tricks?

"Oh, that was a good noise you made, Peter Sam!" Chortled Sir Handel, drawing up alongside his sibling. "Man, if only Lexi was here to record that on her phone-thingummy that would have been perfect!"

Peter Sam glared. "You're mean." He huffed, sulkily.

"Well, I'm your big brother- I've got special privileges!" Sir Handel crowed triumphantly, smirking gleefully.

"Good to know," Replied Peter Sam, wryly. "You're a piece of work, Sir Handel."

"Fine by me- at least I'm not the one going out in the fog!" Came the retort.

Oh, fiddlesticks. Sir Handel was right- he wasn't going out into the fog. Peter Sam would have to. 'Hmph!' he thought. 'What a smart smokebox that brother of mine has!'

He had no way of winning that argument, so he had to concede surrender, lest he get dragged into a verbal battle with no weapons to speak of.

"Alright, you win."

Sir Handel looked out across the line beyond the station. "It's meant to be really foggy, tonight," he warned. "Do be careful, won't you?"

"Of course, I will!" Snorted Peter Sam, but he did soften at hearing the concern in his brother's voice. After all, the Skarloey Railway, no matter how beautiful it was, was still very dangerous to travel- especially on foggy nights like this night would inevitably become.

"Cool," Sir Handel replied, sounding his usual apathetic self. "Just pray you don't run into any ghosts, brother dearest." He smirked mischievously. "Like, oh, I don't know, Duncan's 'Iron Bridge' ghost?"

"You're childish." Peter Sam retorted.

"You're a scaredy cat!" Replied Sir Handel. It was there that Peter Sam decided to just give up his verbal battle altogether.

Though, any word war with Sir Handel felt more like a massacre than a fairly matched battle. Peter Sam had ensured to mention this to Rusty and Skarloey, who were both well-equipped for spontaneous verbal jousts. In fact, they were really good at it after Sir Handel. Though Duncan could hold out pretty well, too, when needed.

"Well, I'll see you at the sheds, brother," Finished Sir Handel, as the stationmaster's whistle blew- and Peter Sam suddenly realised he never heard his passengers embark his train. Blinking with confusion, he mumbled a 'see you later' to the Skarloey Railway's No. 3 and rattled out of the station, unaware of what lay ahead for him…


	5. Little Ones

Hm, perhaps his run was going much better than he thought…. Nope!

He had only been gone ten minutes when a little boy realized he left his teddy at the station and began crying so loudly that Ruth's frames shook and rattled.

"I say!" Agnes exclaimed, who could feel her sister's tremors. "This is most unbecoming, Ruth!"

"I can't help it, Agnes!" Wailed Ruth, over the child's cries. "It's the little boy in my carriage! He won't stop crying!"

"He's just left something he loved on the platform," Reasoned Peter Sam. "I'd be upset if I left Cora behind…"

"So how would YOU resolve this scenario, Peter Sam?" Sniffed Agnes, snootily. She had never cared for little children- to her, they were noisy, dirty, nasty little beasts.

"Simple- I'll go back." Peter Sam answered, much to the astonishment of the coaches.

"But why!?" Wailed Lucy. "We'll be late, Peter Sam! The Thin Controller will be cross!"

"He will be, he will be!" Ruth agonized.

"What's that? The Thin Controller will suffer a loss?" Asked Jemima, confused.

"No, he'll be cross!" Boomed Agnes. "Peter Sam, surely you wouldn't- it was that brat's fault for forgetting his- ugh- teddy bear. He shouldn't be the reason you're late!"

"Well, I'd rather be late than have a child's sorrow on my conscience!" Peter Sam retorted. "If you ladies ever learn to move without my help, please feel free to carry on- otherwise, you're coming back with me."

The coaches had nothing to say to this, so they said nothing at all as Peter Sam stopped, then reversed his train back to Crovan's Gate so the boy's father could retrieve his son's prized bear; which happened to be left on a bench near the station. Mrs. Branch, the station mistress, happened to chance upon him and adorned him in a train driver's uniform she had knitted!

"Oh, I'm sorry, dearie- I probably shouldn't have, but I do enjoy knitting little novelties like this," She said, embarrassed, handing over the bear.

"Thank you," The father nodded gratefully. "As a matter of fact, my Harvey loves trains and firemen, so I'm sure he'd love Rupert's new uniform." He grinned. "And I wish to thank the kind engine who went back for my son's sake."

"Of course," Replied Mrs. Branch, and she led the younger man up to Peter Sam, where he was patiently waiting to get going again.

"Thank you, kind engine," said the boy's father warmly, looking Peter Sam in the eyes. "I do appreciate you doing this for us," he gestured to the bear. "My son loves him a lot- he was devastated he left him behind."

"No problem, sir," Replied Peter Sam politely. "I didn't want your son to be sad- I don't like seeing children sad."

"Few people do," Agreed the father, solemnly. He looked as though he was about to add to that, when he realized that some of his fellow passengers were glaring at him. "I better go," He said instead, sheepishly. "And please don't worry about time- if you're late, I'll put in a good word for you."

"Thank you, sir," replied Peter Sam. He wasn't sure he needed it, the Thin Controller would understand, being a father himself, but he was also a railway controller, one concerned with upholding nothing less than the best standards.

It was always nice to get on the passengers' good side- they could be useful allies in situations like this.

Peter Sam waited until the father had re-embarked his train, before blowing his whistle and setting off again.

….

Although Peter Sam was happy to help someone in need, his delay with the 'Rupert the Bear' incident meant he was now at least ten minutes late, and he couldn't afford to make everyone else late too- particularly since he was the last passenger train of the day. Anyone heading out after him would be goods only.

He rattled on, humming a little song to himself as he chuffed along the line. It didn't have particular tune- he was just improvising, as usual.

"Well, old boy, if you keep this up, we might just get this run complete in record time!" Chortled the driver.

"Don't think so," Replied the fireman, uneasily, "look at the fog out there, mate."

The driver cursed, and Peter Sam yelped as he realised it was now very dark indeed. When had that happened?

"It's nearly winter, Peter Sam," his fireman reminded him, as though he read his mind, "It'll get a lot darker at night from now on."

"Oh great," whimpered Peter Sam. "I hate fog."

…

They continued on, rolling through Cros-ny-Cuirn and then Glennock without mishap. Passengers were dropped off and picked up- he saw Harvey and his father depart at the latter.

"Thank you, Peter Sam!" Called Harvey, cheerily, as his father lifted him up for a piggy-back ride.

Peter Sam chuckled fondly. "You're welcome, Harvey!" He replied, giving a friendly whistle for the little boy. "Look after Rupert!"

"I will! Goodnight, Peter Sam!"

"Goodnight, Harvey!" Peter Sam peeped. He watched as father and son departed- Harvey was already asking his father if they come back tomorrow and see Peter Sam again!

"Oh, I do love children," he sighed happily, feeling much better at carrying on into the foggy night, in spite of his initial trepidation.

At last, he heard the stationmaster's whistle blow, and he chuffed on towards Rheneas Station.

….

By the time he approached Rheneas Tunnel, the fog was so thick that he couldn't see the actual tunnel mouth.

However, he saw two shapes looming out of the fog… like…

"DRIVER, PLEASE, STOP, FOR LADY'S SAKE!" Peter Sam screamed in fright, as he suddenly saw there were two children right ahead of him, on the line!

His driver, alarmed, threw on his engine's brakes and Peter Sam screwed his eyes shut tight as he felt himself slowing down. Sparks flew from his wheels, mingled with the screeching caused by the friction between track and wheel.

Fortunately, he came to a stop, buffers barely touching the children. "That was close!" He uttered, before smiling apologetically to the children- a little boy, and his little sister.

"Hello, little ones." He greeted politely and kindly.

They didn't answer his greeting.

Thinking they were just shy, maybe even frightened, Peter Sam continued, "I'm sorry if I scared you by screaming like that. I didn't mean to- I just got frightened when I saw you two on the tracks. It's no place for children to be."

They didn't answer- just blinked mournfully. This unsettled the Skarloey Railway's No. 4 a tad, but he pressed on. "What are your names? Mine's Peter Sam." He introduced himself, looking almost expectantly at the kids.

Still no answer.

"Well…." Peter Sam faltered, uncertain of what else to say. He and his friends had interacted with a lot of shy children in the past, and they always had succeeded in getting these kids to open up, as they remained kind and polite, they always tried to engage the child in conversation, and they had lots of stories- from funny to jaw-dropping, awe inducing wonder- which often had them asking questions.

And yet, Peter Sam couldn't get these two to talk!

"Are you two lost?" He asked, gently. "Where do you guys live?"

The little boy pointed up the hill above them.

"That's strange," Peter Sam said, without thinking, "I've never heard of anyone living up there- I've never seen any houses up there." He thought about it for a moment and decided he definitely hadn't seen any houses up there. "Are you sure you live there"-

He turned back to them… only to find they had disappeared into thin air.

"Hello? Little ones!" Peter Sam called out. "I could help you get home!"

But they were long gone.


	6. Spending the Night at Lakeside

Peter Sam blinked in disbelief, wondering where those children had gone. His eyes darted left, right and ahead- but they didn't reappear.

The little green engine shuddered in shock.

"Who were you talking to, Peter Sam?" Asked his driver. Peter Sam couldn't believe his non-existent ears! Had his driver really not seen two lost little children, right in front of them on the line.

"Didn't you see those children, driver?" He asked, nervously. The driver swore.

"I didn't see them- I don't see anyone now," he said.

"Fireman?"

"Sorry buddy- I haven't seen any kids, either." The fireman replied. "Maybe you were seeing things…"

"I saw them! They were there." Peter Sam moaned, looking around him again, in the hopes of seeing even just a glimpse of either of those kids. Still nothing.

"I'm sorry, old friend, but there's no one there," his driver insisted gently. "I'll tell you what; we'll travel slowly in case they spring up, and we'll warn the signalman, as well as the Rheneas stationmaster."

Peter Sam wanted to argue that they should look for those kids in case they needed help- but he became aware of his passengers grumbling behind him, and he felt torn between doing the decent thing in staying here to look for the two kids and getting his passengers home.

'What would my friends do…?' he wondered to himself. He had a feeling they would do as his driver had already suggested; because, of course, what was the use of waiting around for passengers that weren't there?

But he was also worried that they were lost and heading for danger- and he didn't want to leave them here in case they got hurt… or worse.

"Peter Sam, we really need to get going," his driver continued, with a gentle insistence. "We can't keep our passengers waiting- besides those children might be scared of steam engines. Perhaps the police will need to retrieve them and return them to their folks…"

"Yeah- plus we'll tell the signalman, in case they turn up," added the fireman to Peter Sam, reassuringly.

"Well… alright, sir," Conceded Peter Sam, unwillingly. He wondered if those children would turn up again- safe and sound.

With that, he chuffed off towards Rheneas Station to drop off more passengers- but also to inform the stationmaster- as well as the signalman en route- that two kids were lost and alone on the line.

….

They warned the signalman and then the Rheneas stationmaster of the two kids. They both agreed to keep their eyes peeled- and the signalman phoned the police to report the disappearance, as well as the event in question, and passed on answers given by Peter Sam about what they looked like, how old they were and what they had said.

Unfortunately, that was all he could do- especially since no one else had seen them.

"You'd be best to go home, Peter Sam," Said the Rheneas stationmaster kindly.

"I can't sir- I still have to take these passengers to Lakeside." Peter Sam replied wearily.

"Well, yes- but I suggest you stay at Lakeside tonight and go back to the Depot in the morning." The stationmaster explained.

Peter Sam knew his friends would note his absence- but by now he was really tired from his run, combined with the earlier fright he had. The coaches, particularly Agnes, hadn't helped, and had ridiculed him following the incident, once the crew confirmed they couldn't see anyone.

"Thank you, sir, I'll do that," answered the little green engine, with a loud yawn.

"Good,"

…..

So, with that, Peter Sam crawled to Lakeside- he was extremely thankful he didn't need to go anywhere else for this run- with the last of his passengers. He wished them all goodnight and a safe journey home before limping back to the sh


	7. The Dark Truth

Early the next morning, Peter Sam was woken up nice and early by his crew so he could get his fire lit before they made their way back to the Depot- where the other engines were getting ready for the day ahead. He was relieved to note that the fog had finally cleared up, giving way to a gorgeous, sunny day- albeit with a chill in the breeze.

"Good morning everyone!" Peter Sam peeped cheerfully as he rolled into the Dept towards the sheds.

The others responded in kind- save for Duncan, who just grumbled, as usual.

"Hey, whatever happened to you last night, boyo?" Asked Skarloey in concern. "You never showed up last night."

"Getting as bad as our Lexi, staying out so late!" Teased Rheneas. Peter Sam chuckled at that; but the older engine quickly noticed his friend looked unusually pale and withdrawn, and he became worried.

"I just stayed at Lakeside, is all," replied Peter Sam. "I knew you guys would be concerned, considering I was in the fog, but I just felt…"

"Exhausted? Fair enough, Peter Sam." Skarloey continued. "I'm just glad you haven't met with an accident in that nasty fog last night."

"Yep, don't need you in another accident, brother," added Sir Handel, smugly. However, a steely look from his little brother was more than enough to wipe the smirk off his face.

"Hey, hey, cut it out!" Rusty said, glaring at Sir Handel. "Well, we're glad you're unhurt, Peter Sam."

_'Unhurt, perhaps. But not unscathed.'_ Thought Peter Sam, drolly.

"So, what did happen last night, Peter Sam?" Asked Freddie, curiously. "You don't look yourself. Did you fall ill?"

"No, no, nothing like that." Answered Peter Sam, uncertainly. "Though as to what happened, I'm still trying to process it all myself."

"Tell us- maybe we can help you." Suggested Rusty, and the other engines murmured in consensus.

Peter Sam bit his lip, nervously. "Are you sure?"

"Of course!"

"Well, alright then…" Peter Sam trailed off, giving himself a moment to compose his thoughts, before explaining his run- from the delay in getting Harvey's prized bear back, up to the sight of the two children at the Rheneas Tunnel, being careful to describe what they looked like.

"It was peculiar," he said. "They were both under ten years of age- yet neither of said a word. I tried to introduce myself, asked them questions as to where they came from and what their names were- still no answer!"

"That's strange," Said Rusty, "Children usually like talking to us."

"Still, what were they doing on the tracks in the middle of the night?" Added Skarloey, thoughtfully. "They should know by now going on the tracks is dangerous and shouldn't be attempted."

"I know- I'm just glad I stopped in time- despite the fog initially obscuring my view of the line ahead." Peter Sam replied. "Anyway, they stared at me, almost as though… they were sad about something."

"Sad about what?"

"I don't know- but they looked sad, and I couldn't cheer them up," Poor Peter Sam looked helpless. Rusty felt sorry for his friend.

"You did your best, Peter Sam- no one can fault you for that." He reassured him. "And at least you did what you could to try and help- some engines would have just gone right by without a second thought- but I know none of us would do that."

"So anyway, I asked them were they lived, and the older one- a little boy- pointed up the hill by the Rheneas Tunnel." Continued the SKR No. 4. "I was confused, as I couldn't see any houses there."

"There was- but it was destroyed during WWI." Freddie admitted.

_That_ sent a chill through Peter Sam's smokebox.

"Wait a minute, Freddie, what did you say?" He asked, suddenly.

Freddie looked confused. "That house… there was a house there, long ago, just a small house- but a fire occurred during WWI and it burned. Had to be demolished after that…"

Wait… that didn't make any sense… thought Peter Sam. The little boy pointed that they lived on the hill by the tunnel… but now, it wasn't there anymore.

Unless…

"No, there's no surrounding houses." Freddie added.

"Wait, how do you know all this?" Luke piped up.

"Well, young Luke, I used to work this line during the First World War- was doing night trains, I was. Oh, those were the days!" the old engine sighed. "I miss the adrenalin of those runs…"

"But… if that house is gone now, why would that boy point it out as his area of residence now?" Asked Peter Sam, still trying to make sense of the events of last night and now.

"I've nae idea, but I wish ye'd shut up already," Grumbled Duncan. "Working the quarry would be less boring than listen to your drivel."

"Duncan!" Boomed Skarloey. "That's quite enough!"

"Pay no heed," Whispered Rusty to Peter Sam. "I'll deal with him later."

Peter Sam smiled gratefully at his dear friend.

"I say, Freddie, you alright, mate? You've gone really pale all of a sudden?" Asked Sir Handel.

And he was right.

Freddie's face had turned puce when he put two and two together, his eyes had widened to the size of saucers and he gulped nervously as he next tried to speak.

"Oh, I'm- I'm fine, Sir Handel, thank you."

"Freddie, do you know something we don't?" Asked Peter Sam worriedly.

"You can tell us," Added Rheneas. "We can help you."

"Guys, please, I'm fine…" Freddie replied, though he was now starting to sweat rapidly- it was

dripping down his face and onto his running board.

"Freddie, please, we just want to help…" Luke pleaded. "Just tell us what's wrong, and we'll see if we can find a way to help you feel better…."

"Aye, surely whatever's bothering ye must be a real killer to deal wi'." Agreed Duncan, carelessly.

Unfortunately, no one expected what happened next- Freddie let out an anguished, terrified, whimper.

"If you must know, Duncan…" he whispered, his voice breaking, his eyes filling with tears. "They're both dead cos of a stupid mistake I made… one hundred years ago…" He wheeshed steam. "I… I can't do anymore of this- I need to leave…"

"Wait, Freddie!" Skarloey said, alarmed and heartbroken at Freddie's confession. "We can help you through this!"

"I… I can't… ask you to help me…" Freddie said, ashamed. "I was responsible for the deaths of those children… they're…"

Unable to finish his sentence, he steamed out of the shed and away from the other engines, much to their sorrow.


	8. Unanswered Questions

A/N: Ok…. So, I had a lot going on- writer's block, breakup of college, illness, etc. I was hoping to get a Christmas update to you all, but I had too much going on and not a lot of ideas… so I hope you enjoy this update on Railway Children! I intend to finish it soon so I can focus on other projects!

But thank you for your continued love and support, as always!

"Poor Freddie," Whispered Peter Sam in shock, glancing over at Sir Handel. "Sir Handel, did you know about this?" He asked his adoptive brother.

"No, I didn't- I swear I didn't know until just now," Replied Sir Handel, his face pale- he was clearly shaken up by his friend's disturbing and tragic revelation. "I-I knew nothing!"

"Hey, hey, no one's accusing you of anything untoward," Soothed Skarloey, somewhat placating the younger engine; but his face was still devoid of colour. In fact, everyone had gone pale all of a sudden.

"Now what do we do, Skarloey?" Rheneas asked his brother, worriedly, even though he could see, plain as day, that even Skarloey was at a loss at what to do about the situation at hand- all he could do was shoot Rheneas a grave, silent look.

"Good morning guys!"

The engines were startled out of their thoughts by Lexi's chirpy voice greeting them.

"Morning, Lexi," Skarloey replied politely but absently. The other engines all muttered a volley of greetings, all suddenly devoid of their customary friendliness and cheerfulness. Lexi herself was surprised by her friends' lack of warmth- and quickly noticed that the engines had dour looks on their faces. Worry suddenly exploded in her gut.

"Is something wrong? You guys seem a little… off." Despite her being a drama fanatic, and good at it too, Lexi still felt paranoid that someone was picking up on that fear she was trying to hide.

"Ye can say that again." Duncan grunted.

"In fact, if I didn't know any better, I'd have thought that you heard that someone just died." She commented. Sir Handel shot her a deadly glare in response- and it was the unusual intensity of his glare that threw her for six.

"Easy, Sir Handel- she doesn't know," Rusty reminded his blue friend, giving an apologetic smile in Lexi's direction. "It's just… we heard some very sad news this morning." He explained to their teenage friend.

"I see…" Lexi nodded, her tone growing wary. "What happened? Are you guys ok?" she asked, looking to each engine in turn.

"Perhaps you better sit down, child," Said Skarloey gravely, his eyes gesturing to a nearby upturned crate.

"Ok…." Lexi muttered, and sat down. She really didn't like where this was going in the slightest- but she nonetheless listened intently as Rusty and Rheneas too it in turns to explain what they heard of Freddie's story to her. It was a very short recount; but, by the time they finished, her eyes were filled with tears.

"Oh, poor Freddie." She gasped, blinking rapidly as tears rolled down her pale cheeks, "I never expected to hear something as tragic as that."

"None of us did." Replied Duncan gruffly, giving her his customary scowl. But Lexi could tell even he was unsettled and saddened at the deaths of two innocent children.

"Not even me, and I've been friends with the guy for years!" Added Sir Handel. "Why did he keep this hidden from me?!"

"Sir Handel, if you guys hadn't found me when you did, I would have carried the secret of the yellow engine until I either successfully committed suicide or was discovered and possibly exiled from Sodor." Luke replied. "Secrets involving causing accidental death are the worst burden to be carrying. I know I wasn't responsible- but I feared being labelled as a"-

"-murderer." Lexi finished for him; her eyes wide with horror. "But he told me not long after the war, he went away for a long time," she remembered. "Does this accident have any bearing on that, do you think?" she asked Skarloey thoughtfully.

"We don't know," Skarloey replied flatly, "…but that's actually a good question."

"One worth getting an answer for." Rheneas continued.

Luke suddenly realized something. "But Freddie's not at fault! His crew should have been more vigilant- and they're the ones who are supposed to stop! Why didn't they stop? And, more to the point, why didn't Freddie's crew report the matter to the police? What happened to those poor kids after the accident?"

The engines couldn't answer any of these questions, which were spinning out of Luke's mouth at 100 miles an hour.

"We don't know, Luke," Replied, Rheneas, despairingly. "We don't know any of these answers."

"I have a feeling there'll be messed up shit involved." Lexi added.

"Lex!"

"Sorry," Lexi held up her hands in surrender as Skarloey glared at her. "I didn't mean to say that- but that doesn't change my feelings an iota." She added, folding her arms across her chest stubbornly.

"And that's fine- we'd appreciate the lack of strong language, thank you." Skarloey replied sternly but not unkindly.

"Ok." Lexi nodded in apology, and the matter was dropped. "So, now what?" she asked the engines, hoping that someone had an idea, as she certainly didn't.

"We best ask Freddie about all this soon." Rusty decided. "But we need to do it without upsetting him."

"Agreed." Several voices chimed.

Lexi bit her lip. "Where did Freddie go, anyway?"

"Work- where the rest of us should be." Sir Handel hissed coldly. Lexi just muttered something indecipherable- and probably rude- under her breath in response. She normally got on well with Sir Handel, surprisingly- but now, he was getting on her nerves. Even if he was in shock over his old friend revealing he had been responsible for the accidental deaths of two innocent kids.

"Alright, enough," Said Rusty reasonably. "We really do need to get going- but we'll find a way to help Freddie." He said. "But we can only help him once we've talked to him and filled in the details- in other words, answer the questions Luke asked."

"Ok." Lexi nodded. "Anybody needing a run of the rag before they head out?" She asked, her eyes darting to a second crate where she kept all her brushes, rags and buckets when she wasn't using them.

Skarloey called these her 'torture instruments. This amused Lexi to the point where she made them live up to their new name whenever she had to polish him at all- or sometimes any engine that got on her nerves.

Right now, Sir Handel was top of that list….

"I'm good, thanks!" Skarloey replied as he chuffed out of the shed, thereby missing Lexi's eye roll.

"Of course, you'd say that, you stubborn Welsh git," she muttered affectionately. "So, what's the plan?" She called out.

"We'll just have to talk to Freddie when he's ready!" Rheneas shouted back. "We'll work from there!"


End file.
